The Founders Club is more than 50 percent sold, according to London Bay Homes, which owns the majority of homesites in the community and manages on-site sales at The Founders Club Sales Gallery. The 700-acre Founders Club, Sarasota’s premier golf community, includes a total of only 262 single-family estates, Reserve Collection homes and golf cottages within intimate neighborhoods nestled along lakes, fairways and nature preserves.
The building boom in The Founders Club includes 23 new homes either completed last year or currently under construction in the private golf and social club community.
“New home construction is more active today than it has been in many years,” said Mark Wilson, president and CEO of London Bay Homes “The construction activity is the highest level since the peak of the real estate market, which really speaks to buyers’ confidence in The Founders Club.”
Since London Bay purchased the remaining 86 homesites at The Founders Club and acquired sales and marketing responsibilities in 2010, 31 new homes have been built or are in the construction process. London Bay is the builder for 17 of those homes, accounting for 55 percent of all home builds in the community.
“Time and again, our homeowners tell us how much they enjoy having this natural, secluded enclave, with such ready access to everything the region has to offer,” said Wilson, who added that about 60 percent of homeowners in The Founders Club are full-time residents.
The Founders Club is conveniently located within minutes of Florida’s cultural coast, including Sarasota’s world-famous Gulf of Mexico beaches, shops, acclaimed local restaurants, and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.
London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, offers golf cottages, single-family homes and one-of-a-kind estate homes at The Founders Club. Golf cottage home and homesite packages are priced from the $650,000s and offer 2,000 to more than 4,000 square feet of living space, including exterior landscape maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Offering golf and lake views, cottage homes are conveniently located within walking distance to the clubhouse. Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space. These single-family homes provide a variety of design options that can be customized to a buyer’s preference. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $800,000s. Estate home and homesite packages are priced from $1 million to more than $3 million and offer a wide range of customization and designer options. Floor plans feature dining and living rooms, studies, plenty of al fresco living spaces and large master suites with walk-in closets and spa-like bathrooms.
Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.
A traditional private golf and social club community, The Founders Club’s amenities are designed to foster camaraderie among residents and a connection with nature. Miles of winding boardwalks and paved walkways meander throughout the community, which is punctuated by palm trees, pines and moss-covered oaks.
The member-owned Founders Golf and Social Club offers 18 holes of championship golf by Robert Trent Jones Jr., with the area’s only traditional caddie program. Golfers are allowed to walk the course, and membership is limited to just 275 to ensure members enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.
Training facilities include two putting greens, a short game area and state-of-the-art TrackMan radar technology offered through Florida Golf Performance Center.
The 24,000-square-foot Golf Hall, overlooking an oak hammock and the 18th hole, offers a main dining room, bar and grille, outdoor verandah and private dining room for casual and fine dining. The facility also has a professionally staffed and fully stocked golf pro shop, state-of-the-art fitness center and men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges.
The club offers a vibrant, active social calendar and recently introduced an in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club.Additional facilities at The Founders Club include two Har-Tru tennis courts, basketball and sand volleyball courts, and a picnic pavilion. Fitness and wellness classes, educational and instructional programs and social gatherings are coordinated by a professional staff.
The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, 3 miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, Exit 210.